Rail handler



Jan. 22, 196 N. F. CLAYBORNE ETAL 3,074,562

RAIL HANDLER Filed June 8, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Jan. 22, 1963 N. F. CLAYBORNE ETA-L 3,074,562

RAIL HANDLER Filed June 8, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NORM/9N E cums 7' v max 5. KRN8 10/11 //1M E. H/lML/A/ ATTORNEY nited States Patent 3,674,562 RAH, HANDLER Norman E. Ciayborne, Monticello, End, Mar. E.

Kerns, Michigan Qenter, and William E. Hamlin, Eachson, Mich assignors to Railway Automation Maintenance Specialties Qompany, Jackson, Mich.

Filed lane 8, 1959, er. No. 318,925

3 Claims. 11 212-11) The invention relates to a device for handling railroad rails and particularly pertains to a portable hoist for lifting the rails to the bed of a transporting vehicle.

In the maintenance of railroads the handling of sections of rails has always been an important and expensive operation and rail switch frogs or similar track sections are usually manually handled or an expensive special crane is used. It is common that a single broken rail must be replaced and in such instances a new rail is placed upon a push car, towed to the location of the broken rail, the new rail installed and the broken rail is placed on the push car and removed. It has been the usual practice to manually lift and remove the rails from the push cars or use makeshift hoist mechanisms and the necessary manpower required in such operations is very expensive.

It is thus an object of the invention to provide a rail or switch frog loader for a railroad fiat bed car, such as a push car, which is capable of lifting a rail from th road bed to the bed of the car with a minimum of effort and manpower.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail loader for use with fiat bed railroad cars which may be mounted on the car without modification thereto and which will not cause the car to tilt during hoisting of the rail.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable rail loader which is capable of versatile control and which permits accurate positioning of the rails on the bed of the car.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a rail loader hoist having an improved rail gripping clamp.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the accompanying description and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the hoist of the invention as mounted on a flat bed push car showing various gripping clamp preferably employed with the loader of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a perspective View of the clamp of FIG. 2 as assembled in gripping relation to a rail,

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the hoist and work car taken from the left of FIG. 1 with the track beam end plate removed, and

FIG. is a sectional, elevational view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 1.

The hoist of the invention may be employed in various applications, however, its purpose is primarily to handle railroad rails and frogs and the following description will be limited to such an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a railroad bed or roadway is represented at it) on which is supported a pair of parallel rails 12 affixed to ties and constituting a railroad track in the known manner. A flat bed railroad push car 14 of conventional construction having a bed 16 is guided on rails 12 and is of such length and configuration as to support railroad rails.

The hoist or loader is generally designated as 18 and is usually mounted centrally on the bed 16 of the car although the location of the hoist on the car may depend on the particular shape and design of the bed.

The loader 18 includes a vertically disposed framework having a pair of braced columns 19 mounted on a rectangular base formed of angle iron having members 2% extending transversely to the rails 12 and interconnected by longitudinally disposed angle members 22. As is apparent in FIG. 4, the columns 19 are in parallel spaced relation and are interconnected at the top by an angle iron 24 to which is affixed the I section track support beam 26. A pair of bracing elements 23 aid in supporting beam 26. The bracing elements 2% are spaced apart a width equal to that of columns 19 and are interconnected at the top by a member 29 which is afiixed to, and hence, supports, the track member 26. The braces 28 are connected at the bottom to the base members 22 whereby the beam is supported in cantilever fashion and cross members may interconnect between the braces 28, note FIG. 4, to add to the rigidity of the structure.

A winch drive and drum device is mounted upon the columns 1? and extends therebetween consisting of a Worm gear reduction drive 30 actuated by a crank 32. The characteristic of the winch drive mechanism is preterably such that one man turning crank 32 may exert more than 1000 pounds of tension within a cable wound upon the winch drum 3 A lead screw 36 is rotatably mounted on the track beam 26 and is supported below the beam and in parallel relation thereto by a beam mounted bearing 33 and a sleeve ill affixed to the other end of the beam. The lead screw 36 extends through sleeve ill and thrust bearing elements supported by the sleeve co-act with the screw to permit the screw to rotate but prevent axial displacement of the screw with respect to the trac A trolley or carriage, generally designated at 4-2, is movably mounted on the track beam 26 and may consist of a pair of parallel plates 44 maintained in spaced relation by bolts 46 cooperating with spacer sleeves 48 and horizontally spaced shafts 5% which may be interposed between and Welded to the plates. In the uppermost regions of each plate a pair of flanged trolley wheels 52 are rotatably mounted on axles fixed to the plates and these wheels are of such dimension as to be closely received within the upper and lower horizontal flange portions of the track beam, note FIG. 5. As the trolley wheels are located in both sides of the track beam and cooperate with the beam flanges, it will be appreciated that any movement of the trolley relative to the track other than that of longitudinal movement on the track, will be prevented.

A cable pulley or sheave 54- is journaled upon each of the shafts Si) and a feed nut 55 is supported on the trolley 42 intermediate the trolley wheels and the cable sheaves. The feed nut 56- is provided with a threaded bore which receives the lead screw 36 and hence upon rotation of the lead screw by the handle 58, it will be apparent that the trolley 42 may be selectively positioned anywhere along the track. The pitch of the threads of the lead screw 35 and feed nut is such that forces exerted on the trolley in a direction parallel to the track will not cause the screw to rotate and thus upon release of the handle 58 the trolley will be locked with respect to its position on the track beam.

Referring to FIG. 1 it will be observed that a cable 6% is wound upon the winch drum 34, passes over the sheave 54 closest to the winch, passes under a sheave 62, which supports the rail clamp 54-, passes over the other sheave 5d and is anchored at 66 to a plate affixed to the outer end of the track beam which also functions as a trolley stop. Such an arrangement produces a mechanical advantage of 2, due to the movable sheave 62, and maintains the clamp 64 at the desired height, during hoisting, as the trolley is moved on the track beam. The clamp sheave 62 is journaled upon a shaft supported by a bracket 68 which in turn supports the rail clamp 64.

The structure of the preterred rail clamp employed with the invention is best shown in F163. 2 and 3. The clamp consists of right and left hand segments? and 72, respectively, of similar configuration and hence a description of one of the segments will suffice. Each segment is provided wit a vertical side portion 74 having a hole '76 therein. A horiztonal lift-portion or flange 82"; is formed on the lower edge of side portion '74 and is of such length as to extend under the ball 82 of a railroad rail 84 when the clamp is assembled as in FIG. 3. The clamp segments also include aninterlock portion as which extends from the side portion parallel to and vertically spacedabove the lift portion 88-. The interlock; and lift portions are spaced apart a distance slightly longer than the height of the'rail ball and a slot 38 is formed in; the interlock-portion do to'receive the side portion of the other clamp segment. The slots 38 are. located such that when. the

clamp is assembled the; distance between-the side-portions 74 will be approximately equal to the width of the ball-portion 82. r

The bracket 68 consists of a pair of parallel elements as having a hole 2 to receive the shaft upon which. the clamp sheave 62 is journaledr Theelements 6 are interconnected by portions 94 which are: bored at 96 and a pair of guides 98 may be welded between the elements 99 to maintain the cable in the groove otthesheave. The bracket 68may thus. be interposed betweenthe'segments of the clamp and an eye bolt 1% passing through holes 76 and 96will connect the bracket to the clamp.

Assuming the clamp components to be separated asin FIG. 2, the clamp is assembled in clamping relation to a rail in the following manner. Eachsegment .is placed on the rail wherein the 'rail ball 82 islocated between the flange or lift portion 3% and the interlock portion 8 6. The segments are-then moved toward each other along the rail until the slotsSS receive the side portions 74 of the other segment. At this time the holes 76 will be aligned and uponplacingbracketdSbetween the segments the bolt 1% maybe. inserted to connect the bracket 68 to the clamp and upon tightening nut ltlg the components will be locked in place and the rail may behoisted. To remove the clamp from the railthe above procedure is simply reversed. V 7

As the track beam 25 is usually disposed transversely to the tracks 12 and as thepush car 14 is ot relatively light weight, hoisting of heavy rails and switch frogs will tend to tip the loader iS and car and counter balance means are provided to prevent such tilting from occurring. A bracket Hid is affixed tothe rear base member 22 and bracket. The turnbuckle is affixed to arail hold down clamp lilb which includes a pair of rail ball, gripping jaws may be held in the closed or gripping position. by a ring Elli. Thus, uponlocating'the car 14 asidesired the clamp 168 is aflixed to a rail 12 and as the chain is atfixed to the loader base and also engages the side of the car, tightening of the turnbuckle will preventeither the loader or push car from tipping during hoisting.

it will be observed in FIG. 1 that a portion of the car bed 16 directly under the track beam 25 may be used to support rails and the loader is used for unloading rails from the car as Well as lifting rails from the ground to '58 in'the proper direction will translate trolley 42 toward the free end of the track and during movement of the trolley the rail will maintain a constantvertical'position due to the cable and sheave arranger rent. Upon positiona chain and turnbuckle assembly 106 are afiixed to this ing the trolley as desired, the crank 32 is then rotated to lower the rail to the ground. The nut 192 may then be removed and the clamp 64 disassembled to release the rail. The dotted lines of FIG. 1 represent the rail at various positions during twisting and it will be appreciated that should a rail be located a considerable distance from the road bed, the initial lifting of such a rail will impose a considerable tilting force onthe loader and car which is counteracted by the clamp 163 and chain and turnbuckle assembly.

It will thus be appreciated that the invention discloses an inexpensive. hoist capable of universal application which may be operated by a single operator and may be quickly attached to or removed from a flatbed car without modification to the car.

We claim: H

1. In: aportable hoist adapted. to be mounted on a conventional fiat bed railway work car, in combination, base members mounted in the bed of the railway car oi a width substantially less than the bed width, vertical support structure afiiXed to and rising from said base menibers, a substantially horizontal cantilevertrack,.member of 1 section having horizontal portions separated by a Web portion mounted on said support strhcturetransversely disposed to the track supportingthe railway car, a trolley movably supported on said track, member, said trolley including a pair of wheels interposed between said horizontal track portions on opposite sides of saidweb portion, a feed nut aflixed to said trolley, a lead screw rotatably mounted on said track member and f red against axial movement thereto operably associated with said teed not adapted to selectively position the trolley on said track, a crank handle affixed tosaidlead screw, a winch mounted on said support structure, a cableaii'i tedtosaid winch at one end and afiixed .to tlie free end of said track at the other end, apair of, horizontally spaced pulleys mounted upon said trolley, a rail clamp supporting pulley, said cable passing over one of said trolley mounted pulleys, under said clamp supporting pulley and overt'he other track supported pulley andhold down means affixed to said base members adapted to be aflixed to the railway car supporting track which will counteract tilting of the hoist during operation thereof;

2. A railroad rail handler comprising, in combination, a conventional flat bed work vehicle-having a fiat bed defined by lateral side edges movably supported upon railroad rails, a hoist removably mounted upon said flatbed having a load support adapted toeXtend over'at least one of the side edges of said bed, said hoist including a frame having base members supported on said fiat bed and support members mounted on said base members and arising therefro supporting said load support and flexible hold- 7 down means afiixed. at one end to said frame and having a rail clamp affixed to the other endto grip the rail remote from said side edge over which saidl'oad support extends and passing over andengagingthe bed side edge adjacent to and disposed above the rail clamped by said hold down means.

3. A railroad rail handler as in claim 2 wherein said base members are of less width than the width of said vehicle bed wherein the bed portion between the sideedge over which the load support extends and said base member comprise a rail supporting surfa'cel References Cited in the file of this patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

2. A RAILROAD RAIL HANDLER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CONVENTIONAL FLAT BED WORK VEHICLE HAVING A FLAT BED DEFINED BY LATERAL SIDE EDGES MOVABLY SUPPORTED UPON RAILROAD RAILS, A HOIST REMOVABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID FLAT BED HAVING A LOAD SUPPORT ADAPTED TO EXTEND OVER AT LEAST ONE OF THE SIDE EDGES OF SAID BED, SAID HOIST INCLUDING A FRAME HAVING BASE MEMBERS SUPPORTED ON SAID FLAT BED AND SUPPORT MEMBERS MOUNTED ON SAID BASE MEMBERS AND ARISING THEREFROM SUPPORTING SAID LOAD SUPPORT AND FLEXIBLE HOLDDOWN MEANS AFFIXED AT ONE END TO SAID FRAME AND HAVING A RAIL CLAMP AFFIXED TO THE OTHER END TO GRIP THE RAIL 